[Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor] Chapter 56/57/58 (Patreon)

Chapter 56: The King’s Court Has Hidden Strength!

Yusef's mind was filled with thoughts of victory, as he could already picture Eden's terrified face.

Fear!

You should be terrified!

Because you are facing me, Yusef, the true future ruler of Urth!

The mere thought of fulfilling his family's thousand-year-old dream and crowning himself king filled Yusef with excitement.

Squeak, squeak!

The mutated grey rat finished gnawing on the flesh and squeaked again, its eyes full of desire as it gazed at Yusef's hand.

But it didn't dare bite him, knowing all too well how powerful this human was after suffering at his hands.

Feeling quite pleased, Yusef tossed another severed hand from the nearby bucket of flesh to the rat.

"Eat more, you cute little thing…"

He couldn't help but praise the rat, which looked like a small dog, its dark red skin covered in several pitch-black eyes.

Not far away, the researchers kept their distance, nervously attending to their tasks.

Their lord, Yusef, had grown increasingly erratic and cruel.

Many had been brutally killed for seemingly no reason at all.

The researchers feared making even the slightest mistake, dreading that they might be fed to the monstrous rat.

The elevator in the laboratory descended, and the leader of the heretics, marked with the symbol of the "Broken Eye" on his forehead, entered.

He knelt before Yusef.

"Master, there's news from the King's Court!"

"Get up, tell me—how's the situation there? What did that useless fool Eden do? He must be terrified, right?"

Yusef stood up, eagerly questioning the heretic leader.

"Nothing happened…"

The heretic leader raised his head, his face dark: "The loyal followers we sent didn't cause any real damage.

The chaos was quelled in a single night! There was barely any panic or fear among the people, and order in the residential areas was restored quickly!"

Yusef froze for a moment.

"Impossible! There's no way… something like this could happen!"

Anger surged within him as his gaze shifted to the mutated grey rat, which was happily chewing on bones.

"Get out of my sight, you damned thing!"

Squeak!

The mutated rat squealed as Yusef kicked it, sending it scurrying to the other side of its glass enclosure.

It didn't even have time to grab its bone before it ran, too scared to retrieve it.

What had just happened? A moment ago, this human had called it "cute," and now he was kicking it?

Ignoring the rat, Yusef turned his furious gaze to the heretic leader:

"Was there a problem with the plan? Given the current strength of the King's Court, the only way they could stop the mutants would be with mass human-wave tactics, followed by relentless bombardments with heavy firepower!

Otherwise, it would be impossible to deal with those mutants so easily!"

"The plan went perfectly! It's just that the people of the King's Court reacted too quickly, and they were too strong! The battle ended so fast that many of our followers didn't even have time to react before they were wiped out! The King's Court easily dismantled the attack.

My lord, our plan has failed!"

Failed? Just like that, we failed?

Yusef felt humiliated beyond belief. He had been defeated by that incompetent Eden?

How could that be?

"No, we didn't fail! This was a successful test—we forced the King's Court to reveal its hidden strength!"

Yusef was resolute: "If I'm not mistaken, the King's Court has concealed an even greater power than the Imperial Guards!

They've hidden it for thousands of years without ever exposing it. What a cunning and deceitful family, those Grants!"

At that moment, Yusef thought back to everything the Hoffman family had endured. Thousands of years ago, it was the Grant family's treacherous schemes that stole the governorship of Urth!

For centuries, Yusef's family had been oppressed, enduring countless hardships!

Now, it was up to him, Yusef—the most outstanding descendant of the Hoffman family—to face this formidable enemy!

This attack wasn't a loss!

It was a massive victory!

With just a small scheme, the Grant family had been forced to reveal their hidden power that had been concealed for millennia.

This proved they had no other options left! Yusef looked at the heretic leader, clearly satisfied:

"This plan was a great success, you did well!"

The heretic leader was bewildered. Had they… won?

How had they won? What was Yusef even talking about? Though confused, he dared not question his master. He would never do anything that could undermine his master's dignity.

Too many examples had shown that challenging the master's dignity led to extreme suffering and torment!

After thinking for a moment, the heretic leader steeled himself:

"Master, since we've succeeded, shouldn't we proceed with the next attack? We can send in more followers, carrying more of the Great Lord of All Eyes' essence!

Even if we can't cause massive destruction, we could at least ruin the Corpse-Emperor's ceremony!"

The mere thought of the King's Court holding a ceremony to honor the Corpse-Emperor made his skin crawl, nearly driving him mad.

He had to ruin the ceremony!

He couldn't let it happen! How he longed to storm the Corpse-Emperor's shrine, to defile and desecrate it!

But his plan was rejected by Yusef.

"That's a foolish plan! The King's Court has already activated its hidden powers, making another attack unlikely to succeed.

We can't send anyone else, and we definitely can't waste any more precious Chaos essence there.

It would only slow down the progress of our experiments!"

Yusef's gaze shifted toward the massive glass incubation tank in the lab, where a grotesque mass of flesh, covered in black, blinking eyes, throbbed and pulsated.

It was the grotesquely swollen abdomen of a pregnant woman, twisted and deformed to an unnatural size, while her upper body and limbs remained normal.

The sight was horribly distorted and terrifying.

Inside that monstrous belly, the embryo of a daemon was growing.

"The King's Court's hidden powers may be formidable...

But we have something far greater—the embryo bestowed upon us by the Lord of All Eyes! Once it is fully developed, and the true offspring of the Lord of All Eyes is born, it will unleash ultimate nightmare power.

It will become the most powerful being on this planet.

No matter what the King's Court does, they won't be able to stop this divine force!"

The heretic leader wanted to argue, but ultimately lowered his head:

"Yes, my lord. The Lord of All Eyes will grant us power, and all will happen as you wish!"

Yusef ordered the researchers:

"At any cost, give the host more nutrients to accelerate the growth of the embryo!"

Following his command, the researchers pulled down several levers.

Massive amounts of colorful liquids flowed through hollow tubes, injecting into the pregnant woman's body and belly.

She writhed and screamed in agony, her suffering almost tangible.

Yusef watched it all with fanatical excitement. This was his true strength!

He was tired of schemes.

This time, he would face them head-on, using absolute power to destroy the King's Court!

All he had to do now was wait.

Wait for the true offspring of the Lord of All Eyes to arrive in this world!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 57: Final Preparations for the Ceremony

Eden's psychic senses detected the slow growth of Chaos power in the Hoffman family's territory.

Fortunately, there was still some time before the final release.

For now, the most important matter was the Emperor's Ascension Day.

If the ceremony went wrong, there would be no need for the Hoffman family to unleash their creatures—the King's Court would fall into chaos on its own.

So Eden quickly turned all his attention toward the preparations for the ceremony.

With the event just three days away, the basic structure was already in place.

On the day of the Emperor's Ascension, the King's Court would halt all work for an unprecedented day, distributing free food to the people.

Everyone would have the opportunity to rest.

They could either join the street parades or devote themselves to the worship rituals dedicated to the God-Emperor.

This was a blessing from the great God-Emperor and the kind Governor, a gift everyone could enjoy.

Except for the Imperial Guards, defense forces, and enforcers.

They would be responsible for security, with their day off postponed by one day.

The grand ceremony would take place at the Sacred Square, the main venue of the Emperor's Ascension Day!

Those fortunate enough to gain entry to the Sacred Square would receive blessings before the statue of the God-Emperor, adorned with gold and jewels.

Each person would also receive consecrated bread and holy water from the church.

The most important part of the ceremony was Eden's speech as Governor.

In truth, it was just him making promises to the people.

As soon as the promises were made, divine miracles would appear.

Then Eden would simply wait for the surge of Hope Power to flow in.

If everything went smoothly, he would gather enough Hope Power to secure critical resources that could turn the tide in his favor.

This was the plan!

Now, the entire King's Court was dedicated to making this happen, and most of the arrangements were already in place.

The only thing left unresolved was the list of people who would attend the ceremony at the Sacred Square.

The front-row attendees and those marching in the parade were easy to determine.

They would be members of families loyal to the King's Court, key officials from important departments, and officers from various military forces.

Their family members would also be included.

This part was straightforward and had already been rehearsed.

The real challenge was selecting the common citizens who would attend the ceremony.

Which of them would be deemed worthy of entering the Sacred Square?

According to the plan, about 50,000 citizens were to be admitted into the square to receive blessings.

They were the main source of Hope Power!

Emotions were contagious.

Eden expected that once these people returned home, they would inspire others.

They would serve as a node, spreading that energy to more people.

These individuals played a crucial role, and couldn't be randomly chosen.

The square would be packed with a dense crowd during the ceremony.

If any heretics or malcontents managed to slip in and detonate a bio-bomb or launch an attack, it would be disastrous.

Such an event would immediately trigger mass panic.

The resulting stampede and chaos would turn the ceremony into a tragedy, with heavy casualties.

The collective fear and despair of so many people gathered in one place could be catastrophic.

At that point, not only would the collection of Hope Power fail, but it could even summon a Chaos daemon on the spot.

That's why the list of citizens was so important—it required thorough vetting.

Only those who were devout followers of the God-Emperor, loyal to the King's Court, and hardworking individuals would be allowed to attend.

The task of selecting these citizens was assigned to a newly created department that Eden had established the day before.

This new department, called the Secretariat, was led by Bayev and staffed by a group of young officials who were absolutely loyal to the Governor.

The Secretariat operated independently of all other departments and answered directly to the Governor.

They had considerable authority.

When deployed, they could act in the Governor's name to mobilize other departments to assist in handling affairs.

In essence, Eden had carved out a new group from the existing structure of the King's Court.

These officials combined the roles of the Governor's emissaries and intelligence officers, assisting Bayev in handling sensitive and critical tasks.

They were young and not yet set in their ways, making them prime candidates for future grooming. This was part of Eden's long-term plan for reform.

The Secretariat was currently labeled as a temporary department in the records, not part of the official hierarchy, giving Eden the flexibility to make adjustments or upgrades in the future.

In time, this group of young officials would play a larger role, injecting fresh blood into the King's Court.

This ceremony would be their first assignment.

Bayev quickly arranged the Secretariat's headquarters, located not far from the Spire Estate.

The building had previously been used by the Department of Internal Affairs but was now vacated for the Secretariat's use.

Though the internal affairs staff were disgruntled, they moved out quickly.

After all, it was the Governor's order—no one dared defy it.

All of the officials in the King's Court understood that a powerful new political force was on the rise.

The Secretariat had already seized a portion of the Internal Affairs Department's authority.

In the future, it might claim even more.

At this moment, two hundred young officials of the Secretariat were standing in formation at their new headquarters, waiting for Eden's arrival.

They wore the Secretariat's black formal coats, black leather boots, and armbands bearing the insignia of a red background with a golden lion, a more dignified design than before.

Each of them was armed with the most advanced laspistols currently available in the King's Court.

According to Eden's plan, these officials would eventually be assigned assistants and elite military units, enabling them to carry out their tasks within the King's Court unimpeded.

Of course, this would be done gradually, and everything would be fully equipped after the ceremony.

Deville stood in the front row, his face cold and expressionless.

This was the proper demeanor for an official of the body retrieval unit in the Logistics Department.

It was also the expected attitude of the Governor's enforcers!

When they went out into the field, they would act as the Governor's emissaries, embodying his authority!

After waiting for some time, Bayev led Eden into the headquarters to review the officials of the Secretariat.

Eden glanced at their attire and nodded in approval:

"Very good, this is exactly what I had in mind!"

As always, his steward was reliable.

Seeing that the Governor was pleased, Bayev finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"Thank you, Governor, for your wise guidance. Without it, I wouldn't have known what to do!"

"Steward Bayev, you've worked hard…" Eden said, even more satisfied, patting Bayev on the shoulder.

Bayev could get things done and knew how to flatter—what more could a leader want?

Eden walked over to Deville and the others, carefully observing them.

As he watched, Eden's brow furrowed, his expression growing darker by the second.

Deville, standing in the front row, noticed the Governor's frown and grew increasingly tense.

Could the Governor be dissatisfied?

Tsk, this isn't quite right…"

Eden muttered, thinking hard before finally speaking up, his eyes locking on Deville:

"Especially you…"

Deville's heart sank upon hearing those words. He could barely stand from the shock!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 58: The Workers

Deville never expected that he, who had always been exemplary, would be publicly questioned by the Governor.

He felt an overwhelming sense of injustice, almost to the point of tears.

Still, he struggled to maintain his composure, trying to preserve his dignity.

Without the Governor asking, he didn't dare inquire where he had fallen short.

But regardless, if the Governor said he wasn't good enough, then he wasn't good enough!

As Deville wrestled with his emotions, trying to keep his thoughts under control, Eden turned to Popov, standing beside him:

"This comrade here is doing well; everyone should take him as an example!"

"Really?"

Popov, who had never received any praise before—especially not from the Governor—could hardly contain his excitement. He instinctively asked.

Then he quickly realized how disrespectful it was to question the Governor and immediately shut his mouth.

"It's true, young man. Keep up the good work!"

"All for the Governor!"

Popov stood tall, filled with pride.

When he returned home, he would certainly tell his parents about this.

To be personally praised by the Governor was an honor that would be recorded in his family's history.

What an immense honor!

Deville, watching Popov barely suppressing his excitement, found it even more unbelievable.

Why?

How could that coward Popov be better than him?

Soon, Eden explained the reasoning to everyone:

"You're all too serious and too cold. You should smile more. You represent the Governor's image, and I need you to show enough approachability.

You need to be able to connect with the people, to communicate well enough to gather the information we need!

That's something you must do!"

The officials of the Secretariat were acting as the Governor's emissaries.

If they were too cold and made people fear them completely, it would negatively impact the Governor's image.

At least for now, he needed to leave a kind image in the minds of the people.

Upon hearing the Governor's request, Deville and the other young officials immediately forced smiles.

However, they hadn't smiled in front of people in such a long time, making their expressions awkward.

Eden looked at them and nodded:

"In any case, your primary task is to smile and show enough friendliness. I trust you can manage that!"

"Yes, sir!"

"However, when facing enemies and corrupt individuals, you must show them your ruthlessness and cold-blooded nature.

You need to strike fear into their hearts and show them what the wrath of thunder truly means!

Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

That was Eden's purpose in selecting this group. They needed to be approachable but also capable of extreme ruthlessness when required!

"I believe you all understand what I mean. Now, let Steward Bayev assign you your tasks."

Eden's work was done, and from here on, it was Bayev's responsibility.

He would assign the young officials to various regions, such as mines and factories, to select the right citizens for the ceremony.

The process involved the King's Court issuing orders, instructing each area to submit a list of names according to specific requirements.

They would select active individuals to represent the people, forming a procession into the Sacred Square.

The Secretariat's task was to review these lists, ensuring there was no fraud and determining whether to add or remove people.

If anyone was found to be deceiving or disrespecting the Governor, they would be judged accordingly.

Soon, Bayev had the plan in motion.

Deville and Popov were assigned to the same group, becoming partners.

They headed to the factory district to carry out the selection task.

Riding in a hovercar toward the factory area, Popov couldn't help but ask:

"Deville, why do you keep staring at me? Is there something on my face?"

"Nothing,"

Deville replied with a blank expression, turning his face away.

He would never admit that he was trying to learn how to smile by observing Popov.

Out of Popov's sight, Deville practiced smiling in silence.

He swore that next time he saw the Governor, he would present the most perfect smile.

He would smile even better than Popov!

As Deville and the others made their way to the factory district, the factory managers scrambled to prepare for the Governor's emissaries' arrival.

To avoid leaving a bad impression on the emissaries, the factory directors ordered workers to work overtime to clean and tidy the factory thoroughly.

Supervisors became even more diligent in overseeing the workers, allowing no slacking off.

Yet none of the workers complained.

Two days ago, the King's Court had issued a notice that a select number of active workers would be chosen to attend the Emperor's Ascension Day at the Sacred Square.

These chosen individuals would receive the Emperor's blessing and be given consecrated bread and holy water from the church.

It was an opportunity beyond measure.

In the past, when the Emperor's Ascension Day had been celebrated, only the directors of large factories had the privilege of being invited by the nobles to the Sacred Square in the Upper Hive to receive blessings!

But this time, everyone had a chance!

For the workers from the Lower Hive, this was an unparalleled blessing.

They didn't even need supervision; they worked harder than ever, fearing that if they slacked off, they might lose this precious opportunity.

They prayed silently, hoping they would be selected.

Arila, working diligently on the assembly line, desperately hoped to be chosen as one of the active workers!

Cough!

She coughed but quickly stifled the sound.

Her mask was broken, but she didn't dare speak up.

According to regulations, workers could only replace their masks once a month.

The last worker who had complained about a broken mask had been whipped by the supervisor!

At this critical moment, if she were beaten for such a mistake, she might lose her chance to be selected as an active worker.

Fortunately, she was the fastest worker on the line, with the highest product output!

She was sure to be chosen.

But it was so hard to bear!

The noxious fumes seeped through the gap in her mask, and the wounds on her face made the pain unbearable, but she gritted her teeth and kept going.

"Arila, you can do it. Just hold on a little longer!"

Just as Arila felt she could no longer endure, the supervisor finally announced a break.

She could finally catch her breath.

Soon, the list of active workers would be announced, and the workers gathered nervously, discussing the Emperor's Ascension Day.

They were full of hope, as this might be the greatest honor the Lower Hive workers could ever receive.

From birth to death, the workers lived their lives unnoticed, with no praise or mourning.

But now, the Governor was offering them such a great honor!

Arila didn't join the discussion. She was always invisible, not well-acquainted with her colleagues, and people often forgot she existed.

She listened to their praises of the Governor, and in her heart, she couldn't help but think:

"The Governor truly is a kind man."

Soon, the supervisor pulled out a list—the preliminary selection of active workers.

At that moment, everyone's hearts were in their throats!

(End of Chapter)